R.J. Nelson was among several Ayden-Grifton Chargers who began the season with an injury.

During the first six games, the senior running back played with a recovering broken hand — the same first six games the Chargers lost.

Ayden-Grifton entered the conference season on a six-game losing streak to face Greene Central before sweeping the Eastern Carolina 2A for the title. The Chargers went on to finish 7-7, earning third-round NCHSAA 2A state playoff action.

Nelson’s cast came off as the Chargers pulled off a 28-27 come-back win over the Rams in overtime. He rushed for 144 yards that game but finished the season with 1951 and All-Conference honors (Eastern Carolina 2A Conference Offensive Player of the Year).

“It feels good because I know what I’ve been working for all year I accomplished,” Nelson said of the selection. “I can’t thank my team enough; if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have the awards I have today.

“Running is not a big part of the game, it’s about my line.”

The 2013 All-Free Press Defensive Player of the Year remembered not only his team’s contest with Ayden-Grifton, but Nelson himself.

“I had a lot of fun with him that game,” Shyheem Carmon said with a smirk.

Shyheem Carmon

Carmon, a two-year varsity linebacker, led Greene Central’s defense with 80 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles.

When the nominations for All-Free Press were entered, he wasn’t sure he’d make the cut.

“I was thinking I wasn’t going to get it because (The Free Press) covers a lot of good teams,” said Carmon. “When Wooten told me (I was selected), I was speechless. It’s an honor.

“I came a long way since middle school.”

Page 2 of 3 - Carmon is hoping to attend ECU to study criminal justice, with the dream to play football at the college level. He said he is “not going to give up on it.”

When the season started, he said the team’s goal was only to do well.

“I know we were much-doubted by everybody,” Carmon said. “We were 3-9, but at the end of the day, it was a tremendous turnaround for us.”

Allen Wooten

When Allen Wooten took over the Rams team, Greene Central was on a nine-game losing streak going back to the previous season.

The spell eventually stretched into 16 games, but the Rams didn’t fold.

“It shows what kind of character these gentlemen have,” said Wooten, who took the reins after nine years on the North Pitt coaching staff. “Starting with seven straight losses, it took a lot for us to mesh — coaches and players, but we ended having a successful run there at the end of the conference.

“I think it showed that we progressed.”

Greene Central only had a 3-9 record when the Rams hung up their jerseys this year, but the final trio before they earned a playoff berth was meaningful.

First of all, Goldsboro was the favorite to beat GC in the final regular-season finale this year, clinching the third spot in the conference and the last playoff ticket.

But Brandon Belcher blocked a potential game-winning field goal to help elevate the Rams into the playoffs — an ending no one would have predicted.

Greene Central lost a controversial contest to Ayden-Grifton to start the conference season. Had the Rams won that game, both AG and GC would have finished 4-1 in the EC2A — with Greene Central winning the tie-breaker.

Page 3 of 3 - But that’s in the past, and the Rams fought their way into the state playoffs.

“I think it showed what kind of will power they had, what kind of dedication they had,” Wooten said of this year’s team. “They were learning a whole new system of offense and a whole new system of defense.”

First-year coach Wooten admitted he thought Chargers’ coach Paul Cornwell would be the favorite for Coach of the Year. The pair has a history, as Cornwell was Wooten’s offensive line coach when Wooten played football at North Pitt.

Wooten said he’s carried over values from Cornwell’s coaching into his own philosophies.

“I always use him as a crutch to lean on,” Wooten said. “Hopefully, we can have some good battles for the next 15 or 20 years.”